Discussions By Condition: I cannot get a diagnosis.

Suspected chronic systemic bacterial/fungal infestation

Would like to seek urgent advice on the following medical condition on behalf of a friend who is chronically ill. Please kindly assist as his financial resources are stretched thin and he really would appreciate it if the community could assist him resolve this impending medical disaster. The following is his sharing:

"In Aug 2006, I was involved in an oral sex encounter with another guy and subsequently developed severe throat discomfort - primarily a burning sensation that made it hard to sleep. Note that several months before this encounter, this guy was wearing a urinary bag which I noticed to contain some yellowish discharge. Upon my asking, the guy sheepishly said it was just a bladder infection. I did not probe any further.

On around the 2nd day of infection, I went to the toilet to pass motion and was shocked to discover that I was passing out some yellowish discharge that was sticky and stinky. This discharge was a one-time occurrence. I did not perform anal sex.

I did not dare reveal this to the doctor but on the 3rd day of infection, I managed to obtain some doxycycline from the doctor and consume it over 3 days. I felt better and the symptoms appears to be milder, and remained localised at the throat area for the next 4 months.

In December 2006, the infection did what was incredulous. It began migrating down my throat, reaching my chest walls, burning its way left and right. I could bear with it. Low grade fever occurred on 1-2 days but it came and went very fast. Again, what I felt was a burning and sizzling sensation. During this 4 months, I coughed out on about 2 occasions what seemed to be some kind of small, semi-solid yellowish-slight greenish modular particles which stink. It did not seem to be food particles because each time I coughed them out, especially after snorting (I have a habit of deep snorting when my nose is irritated), the appearance of these particles were consistently of the same texture and color....

Across the whole of 2007, the disease proceeded to infect my entire body and I still did not reveal the truth to the doctor, apart from obtaining several courses of antibiotics from the doctor, such as septrin, doxycycline and amoxicillin - all of which seemed to suppress the infection for a few days but never really able to resolve it. The manner of disease progression throughout 2007 was as follows:

Thus, I knew that some kind of a disease network was being established in my body. Everytime it moves on to infect a new area, I would feel a burning, sizzling sensation as it penetrated into my flesh/muscle. I would feel as though there is a layer of glue that has been poured over the affected areas, making my body movements seem rigid and stiff. Again, it felt as though the infection was occuring just beneath my skin. There were also infrequent coughing out of a small piece or two of this semi-solid yellowish-slight greenish modular particles which stink. Fever was hard to come by and if it ever came, it was low-grade and it came fast and go fast, typically within an hour it was gone.

As the infection slowly climbed up my spine and infected my brain (I could still walk as per normal! I dunno why) throughout 2007, I experienced a range of symptoms including:

1) over a few days spread out across a few weeks in Mar/Apr 2008, I experienced near fits-like situation. I have never had fits before. But again, my body trembled a little bit on several occasions and it felt as though the bacterial infection was about to take over control of my body functions, just that it could not because perhaps I, the host, was still strong enough to defend myself. During this period, I experienced burning sensation and some wriggling, especially around the inner membrane of my brain.

2) On one occasion, I was bathing when I experienced an ecstatic feeling for no reason! I was not on drugs or on any medication. Again, there was some burning sensation in my brain and some wriggling sensation too.

3) On seveal occasions in Jun 2008, I experienced situations when I felt as though the disease was trying to put me to sleep!! I was struggling to stay awake and was feeling so sleepy. Again, I was not on any medication then nor was I on drugs.

Between Jan and Jun 2008, I visited the DSC Clinic twice where after all tests were done, they excluded all forms of sexually-transmitted diseases, including AIDS. I was then referred to SGT Clinic A for psychiatric evaluation in early Jul 2008, where I was told I might be down with some kind of driven anxiety disorder and was given Risperidone 0.5mg over 1 month. While the medical doctor did not dispute the facts of my case, which is the same as given here in this forum, the priliminary assessment was that I might be suffering from some kind of mild schizophrenia, or hallucinations of some sort. But I strongly dispute these. I have always been an optimistic person. I feel that any neuro condition that is appearing now is caused by the suspected bacterial infection and systemic bacterial infestation across my body has not been ruled out.

Around the same time in Jul 2008, I visited SATA where I had some xrays taken. Between Jun 2007 and Mar 2008, I had been on Isoniazid medication (1 pill per day) as a form of TB prevention regime. So I went to SATA to have my sputum analysed and chest xrays taken, just to ensure that there is really no TB bacteria left. Indeed, I was reassured by the doctor that there was no more TB bacteria left in my body. But the sputum test results were as follows:

Based on this specimen test result and the above suspected systemic infection which i told the doctor, the SATA doctor gave me 7 days amoxicillin 625mg, take twice a day. But after taking for 5 days, there was no improvement in my body situation.

2 Replies:

But on 15 Jul 2008, I rushed down to SGH A&E again where I complained of heart palpitations. My heart was beating so fast in the mrt for no reason and I began to feel restless, had to keep walking around and could not sit still. My mouth and throat became so dry I had to keep drinking water. I felt a little like wanting to fall unconscious but I could still control myself. Rushed down to SGH immediately, where 12-lead ECG was done but they could not find anything wrong. A full blood count was also done and it revealed the following:*******************************************************Full Blood Count:=============Hemogram* 0Haemoglobin 14.4 G/DL NormalWBC count 10.38x10(9)/L HighPlatelet count 365x10(9)/L NormalRBC Count 4.47x10(12)/L LowHaematocrit 42% NormalMCV 93.9 FL NormalMCH 32.2 PGd HighMCHC 34.3 G/DL NormalRBC Distribution Width 14.3% NormalMean Platelet volume 6.6 FL LowDifferential count* Normal*****Neutrophil 82.6% HighLymphocyte 11.2% LowMonocyte 5.5% NormalEosinophil 0.5% NormalBasophil 0.2% NormalLymph Absolute 1.16x10(9)/L NormalEOS Absolute 0.05x10(9)/L NormalBAS Absolute 0.02x10(9)/L NormalMono Absolute 0.57x10(9)/L NormalNeut Absolute 8.58x10(9)/L High Troponin-T Specimen comment - serum is mildly haemolysedUrea and Electrolytesurea, serum 4.3 MMOL/L Normalsodium, serum 139 MMOL/L Normalpotassium, serum 4.2 MMOL/L Normalchloride, serum 105mm MMOL/L NormalBicarbonate, serum 25.8 MMOL/L NormalGlucose, serum 6 MMOL/L NormalFASTING (3.9-6.0 MMOL/L)Creatine, serum 72 UMOL/L NormalSpecimen comment SERUM IS MILDLY HAEMOLYSEDTW And neutrophils noted to be high.Advised to return if symptoms worsen.*******************************************************I was then asked to return home as the doctor said the blood test results were ok and i just need to continue with the amoxicillin treatment regime given by the SATA doctor and come back only if the symptoms worsen. Despite my resistance and insistence that I be admitted, the doctor told me that it was not possible as the right approach would be for me to consult the psych doc at SGH Clinic A, where I am due for a 2nd appointment in early August 2008. Instead, she told me, after consultation with the psych dept, to increase the Risperidone pill to 1mg per night. I then visited the Polyclinic on 16-Jul-2008 where I proposed to the doctor the possibility of replacing the antibiotic with ciprofloxicin. He agreed, saying that he was giving me based on the sputum specimen test results and the fear of a widespread systemic infestation. I was given 7 days of Cipro (500mg), to be taken twice a day. I am now 4 days into the course of this medication. It seems to work a little better than amoxicillin as in the disease appears to have been suppressed but not resolved. As it is, I am confused by the evolving situation. I am convinced the systemic bacterial infestation is still around in my body. But somehow my body cannot have fever, or if it comes, it is a mild and fast one. It seems that the fever function has been overriden by the bacteria. Instead, I have been made to look like a schizophreniac making my rounds to the various A&Es making life difficult to the doctors. This disease is slowly seeping beneath my skin and is spreading its way down into my limbs - legs and hands. Now my joints feel stiff, I have increasingly felt random skin/muscle twitching across my body and it seems that this thing is enveloping around the surface of my bones. And I know it is trying to complete the infestation before triggering a complete and synchronised attack on my body, leading to a simultaneous shutdown of my body organs.Could someone pls tell me the best way forward. The whole issue is fudged. It's like the more I say, the more everybody gets confused. I feel that the hospital has misdiagnosed my condition by making me go to the psychiatrist first. I think I have done the right thing by trying to convince the doctor at the polyclinic of embarking on some kind of antibiotic treatment. Shd I request for blood culture and go for CT scan and MRI scan of heart and brain, preferably whole body? How much would it cost? Must I be admitted to hospital b4 these tests can be done? I'm saying all these to avert a potential medical disaster and I also wish not to die from this terrible disease."

Wow, that's rough. I would avoid all sugar and dairy until it is resolved. I would consider MMS (miracle mineral solution) if the antibiotics don't work. Remember, with either one, you need to take it a while. Short courses of treatment will only make it harder to kill.